Apple terminates Fortnite developer Epic games from App Store

Apple has finally removed Epic Games’ account from its App Store after a legal battle over in-app payments on Fortnite game.

The tech giant has already removed Fornite from the App store as the game offered a discount on its virtual currency for purchases made outside the app. Apple receives a 30% reduction. However, Epic declared the fee unfair.

“We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store,” Apple said in a statement.

“We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases. The court recommended that Epic complies with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they’ve followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused.”

A US-based court has earlier rejected a bid by the makers of Fortnite, to reinstate the video game back to the App Store.

Apple, which still maintains tight control over the App Store and 30% of the cut revenue, which is seen by some as monopolistic behavior, said this after the ruling in California.

“We thank the court for recognizing that Epic’s problem is entirely self-inflicted and is in their power to resolve. We look forward to making our case to the court in September.”

Previously District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Roger’s ruling gave the game creators a partial victory and some breathing room by ordering Apple not to limit Epic’s ability to provide Unreal engine, a key graphics technology, for other apps.